Human-like telomeres in Zostera marina reveal a mode of transition from the plant to the human telomeric sequences
Authors
PEŠKA, Vratislav (guarantor), Martin MÁTL (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Terezie MANDÁKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Daniel VITALES, Petr FAJKUS (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Jiří FAJKUS (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Sonia GARCIA (724 Spain)
Edition
Journal of Experimental Botany, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2020, 0022-0957
Other information
Language
English
Type of outcome
Článek v odborném periodiku
Field of Study
10601 Cell biology
Country of publisher
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
A previous study describing the genome of Zostera marina, the most widespread seagrass in the Northern hemisphere, revealed some genomic signatures of adaptation to the aquatic environment such as the loss of stomatal genes, while other functions such as an algal-like cell wall composition were acquired. Beyond these, the genome structure and organization were comparable with those of the majority of plant genomes sequenced, except for one striking feature that went unnoticed at that time: the presence of human-like instead of the expected plant-type telomeric sequences. By using different experimental approaches including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), genome skimming by next-generation sequencing (NGS), and analysis of non-coding transcriptome, we have confirmed its telomeric location in the chromosomes of Z. marina. We have also identified its telomerase RNA (TR) subunit, confirming the presence of the human-type telomeric sequence in the template region. Remarkably, this region was found to be very variable even in clades with a highly conserved telomeric sequence across their species. Based on this observation, we propose that alternative annealing preferences in the template borders can explain the transition between the plant and human telomeric sequences. The further identification of paralogues of TR in several plant genomes led us to the hypothesis that plants may retain an increased ability to change their telomeric sequence. We discuss the implications of this occurrence in the evolution of telomeres while introducing a mechanistic model for the transition from the plant to the human telomeric sequences.
Links
GA19-03442S, research and development project
Name: Geny pro ribozomální RNA - cestovatelé v čase a genomech
Investor: Czech Science Foundation, Ribosomal RNA genes - travellers in time and the genomes
GX20-01331X, research and development project
Name: Biogeneze a evoluce telomerázy u rostlin
Investor: Czech Science Foundation
LQ1601, research and development project
Name: CEITEC 2020 (Acronym: CEITEC2020)
Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR